OUR campaign, Deal With Your Debt, backed by the Scottish Government, aims to show families there is a way of getting back in control of your finances.

More Scots women than ever are struggling to balance the books (Photo: Getty Images)

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SCOTTISH families are finding in increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

This is the reality for many women living with debt and struggling to feed and clothe their families.

A study by the Scottish Women’s Convention, which has a network of more than 300,000 women, found that many are struggling to meet their financial obligations every week.

Today, we launch a Daily Record campaign, Deal With Your Debt, backed by the Scottish Government, to encourage people to seek the help available.

With the support of our Money Doctor, Fergus Muirhead, we want to show families there is a way of getting back in control.

Consumer expert Fergus is confident that every money worry has an answer – and he can signpost people to financial security.

The study by Women’s Convention found that redundancy or moving to a job-share has had a significant impact on financial resources, with women relying on overdrafts and credit cards to get by.

Increasing reliance on credit perpetuates the problem and results in more debt from spiralling interest payments.

Some women have reported taking on extra part-time jobs to support their incomes and this impacts social and family responsibilities and increases pressure on women to juggle their commitments.

Without access to advice and support, there is a real possibility that these women, many of whom are working, will fall into arrears with rent, council tax and other household bills.

Agnes Tolmie, chairman of the Convention, said: “This isn’t about women getting into debt because they are living beyond their means. Women are simply trying to feed and clothe their families and pay their bills.

“Many working women are finding that their salary is spent three weeks into the month.

“The current financial climate, coupled with the constant increase to the cost of living and rising pension age, has led to many women struggling financially on a daily basis. Women need relevant advice on how to manage their income in order to avoid increased debt.”

The Scottish Government has now made it easier for people to access help by introducing initiatives such as the Debt Arrangement Scheme, which allows people to pay off their debts over a longer period and at an affordable rate.

Another study by Netmums, the UK’s largest parenting site revealed that one in five Scots has had to choose between buying food and putting the heating on, while a quarter of families are living on credit cards.

But Scots parents are doing their best to save costs cleverly with 62 per cent searching online for money-off vouchers.Nearly three-quarters of mums admitted to spending cuts this summer.

The Netmums study found that two in five families need an extra £20 a week to get by, a third need £50 and one in 10 would need an extra £100 each week to make ends meet.

Edinburgh mum-of-two Nicola Lamond, 40, who is Netmums editor, said: “Scots have a reputation for being thrifty and looking after their money. But even with careful money management, it is becoming almost impossible to balance the family finances.

“The spiralling cost of living and stagnant wages mean women are being forced into debt. But mums across Scotland aren’t borrowing money to buy luxury clothes or holidays, they’re going into debt trying to make ends meet.

“The rapid rise in families being forced to use food banks or cutting back on their energy usage is a stark reminder than many mums are struggling to pay for the basics, which is unacceptable in modern Scotland.”

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Financial difficulties can bring misery and despair to those in debt.

“Worryingly, over recent months, a growing number of people have resorted to high-interest lending to get them through the month. But borrowing more money is rarely the answer. Through our Debt Arrangement Scheme, we provide a debt management solution that helps people regain control of their finances.

“DAS helps people to pay back what they owe over a longer period and it freezes their interest and charges from the date of application.

“In 2012/13 there were over 4000 Debt Payment Programmes approved under DAS, a growth of 40 per cent on the previous year. With the power of independence, we’d be able to control payday lenders who consumers turn to when they have no alternative.”

WHAT YOU SAID

“SOME weeks I put my shopping on my credit card, which is something I never would have done in the past. If I didn’t, then I wouldn’t have enough money to be able to pay for other things.

I feel like I’m robbing Peter to pay Paul a lot of the time, I reckon.”

"IF it's a choice between paying rent or an electricity bill and have the opportunity to make sure the kids are properly fed and get new shoes and coats, then it's a no-brainer."

"I DIDN'T think much about my student loan or using my credit car when I was studying, because I expected a decent job at the end of my degree.

That's not the case though - there's nothing out there so I'm still working in the uni bar and trying to service the debt I have."

CAROL McAULAY

BALANCING the household finances had always been a concern for mum-of-five Carol McAulay but when her teenage son died in an accident, grief overtook everything.

With the family in turmoil, money was the last thing on her mind and the debts piled up.

She said: “It was terrible to keep up the payments. I was getting out loans to pay debts. I skipped meals for the kids. It got very stressful. I had many sleepless nights.”

It was soon after that she called charity Christians Against Poverty’s free debt and budget advice service.

An adviser visited Carol and encouraged her to outline every single debt. She was given a stack of pre-paid envelopes and told to put any creditors’ letters into them and send them to CAP to deal with.

CAP negotiated with Carol’s creditors on her behalf and, with their help, she finally became debt-free last June.

The experience has totally changed the way she manages her finances.

“I didn’t realise how fast savings could mount up. Before, when something came up, like a birthday, it would be a case of finding a loan just to see me for that week. If I had a loan I’d think, thank God for that, but then you have that worry afterwards.

“Now I don’t need to do that, I can put money by. I even have a wee treasure chest for my loose change. If I need a bus fare, it’s there. I know if I can do it, anyone can do it.”

Dr Fergus Muirhead (Photo: Paul Chappells/Daily Record)

DR FERGUS MUIRHEAD

“Debt can affect all of us, at any time. But it’s never too early – or too late – to seek help,” says consumer expert Dr Fergus Muirhead.

“Carol’s story highlights the benefits of sharing the stress that comes with debt. It is a problem that can be sorted but only when met head-on.

“The starting point is to accept that debt has become a problem and talk to someone about it.

“And do it before you start to miss payments. The sooner you accept that your debt has become a problem, the easier it will be to come up with a solution.

“It is an awful lot better to go to creditors to tell them you have a problem rather than wait until they come to you to tell you that you have missed payments.”

Dr Fergus Muirhead will be hosting a webchat on debt problems on our website on Wednesday, September 18. Email your questions for Fergus to webeditor@dailyrecord.co.uk